Coal’s place in the global energy system is shifting, but the story has been anything but a straight line.

Creamer Media’s ‘Coal 2025: The shifts reshaping coal’ report provides an integrated view of global and domestic developments shaping the sector over the past year. It outlines key policy, market and investment shifts internationally, noting gradual changes in demand patterns, evolving trade flows and the influence of weather, economic conditions and energy policy on coal use worldwide. Power generation remains central to coal consumption, and the report reflects how electricity demand trends continue to guide market behaviour.

South Africa’s significant coal sector is presented within this broader context. The report traces the value chain from resources and reserves through mining, coal preparation and downstream use, highlighting the sector’s economic importance and the niche logistical challenges that continue to affect supply to domestic and export markets. An overview of developments in rail performance, road transport and export throughput provides insight into how producers are responding.

The report summarises the activities of the major mining companies as well as select smaller producers, noting production trends, investment decisions and operational adjustments. Environmental considerations, including regulatory requirements and national climate commitments, are discussed with regard to longer-term planning and carbon-budget implications.

The outlook section brings these themes together, offering an appraisal of how market conditions, logistics, policy developments and demand expectations may shape the sector in the coming years.

This report is a summary of information published in Engineering News and Mining Weekly, as well as of information available in the public domain over the past 12 months. The report does not purport to provide analysis of market trends.

The information in this report is correct as of November 9, 2025.